Foreteller caps off a memorable week for master Waller

Mat Jones23 Feb 2013, 4:32 p.m.

ONLY half an hour after bringing up 100 winners in Sydney for the season, premier trainer Chris Waller celebrated the first winner out of his Melbourne satellite stable when Foreteller won the Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield.

ONLY half an hour after bringing up 100 winners in Sydney for the season, premier trainer Chris Waller celebrated the first winner out of his Melbourne satellite stable when Foreteller won the Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield.

Waller already had a winning double at Warwick Farm through Marden and the Ingham-owned She's Clean, which gave the stable more black type in the Triscay Stakes.

"She was obviously a fit horse, which was the big thing, and Jimmy [Cassidy] held her together nicely," Waller said. "It's a big thing to win in those [Ingham] colours ... She's obviously done a great job and won a few races. She's late to mature so there is more to come."

It capped a big week for Waller, whose wife Stephanie had the couple's second child, daughter Nikita Jayne. Foreteller, which won after a rails-hugging ride by Dwayne Dunn, will continue on the Australian Cup path from Waller's Melbourne base.

"It's a milestone for our stable. If we send the right horses down there we will get the right results," Waller said. "He has been set for the Australian Cup but we've always been realistic, that is a big step on that path."

Chalking up the 100th Sydney win led Waller to predict for the first time Tommy Smith's and Gai Waterhouse's all-time shared record of 156 city winners in a season was within reach. "It is [a realistic goal] but you can't have a quiet month and we've had a quiet month the past month," Waller said.

"If you win a lot of races at the start of the season you either have to get fresh horses in or keep those horses winning more races."

The win also brought up another milestone for sire Redoute's Choice, which landed his 100th stakes winner when Cassidy piloted She's Clean down the outside to beat Appearance by a head. California Storm had trouble on the turn, which caused jockey Jason Collett to shift ground on Mickelberg, causing him to knock into Blake Shinn on Appearance and stall her run.

"With the big weight it was a super run," Shinn said. "The bump on the turn didn't help her because we lost momentum and it's hard to pick up again with the big weight on a wet track."

Cassidy was full of praise for She's Clean's fighting run after she was heavily backed on track before the race. "She was very brave, but was probably not suited by the ground," Cassidy said. "With the light weight she fought well."

Waller almost didn't run She's Clean at Warwick Farm as he gave an insight into his successful season. "I was actually thinking of scratching her this morning and sending her to Melbourne. We've got to start sending a few horses down there soon," Waller said. "We don't move them on as quickly as we probably should because we're there for racing.

"Last year we earned close to $10 million in prizemoney. Although our strike rate is probably lower than the other trainers, it's getting better all the time."